Looking for an electrical pro to help with 964t problem.

Capt. Crunch · 06-30-2010, 10:13 PM

I have something on while the ignition is off. I bought the car with this issue and its fine time to make it go away. I recently took the car to a local shop and they simply replaced the battery (older battery). They claimed to have pulled all the fuses and found that they didn't change the reading on the meter so they figured the battery was the problem. I took the car home and 6-7 hours later the car wouldn't turn over again. I called the shop the following day and he said the car was sitting for a couple of days after the battery was changed it and started just fine. He said to bring it back and he'd look at it again but I've lost confidence in this shop.

The following weekends with the aid of my friend and father I have tested the fuses again, and pulled the relays in front. I pulled the four fuses in the engine bay but the relays we too tight for my hand which is a bummer.

The drain is 11.7 volts. We put a test light on the battery and the test light was pulsing. We seem to think it’s a relay, flasher, turn signal related. The car doesn’t appear to have an alarm but a red indicator light remains protruding on the dash from a previous unit. While checking to see if applying the turn signals would stop the pulsing I noticed the high beam light stay on in both positions and the pulsing stopped. Jeez- Where to go from here!

I'm looking for someone who is very familiar with Porsche 911/964 electrical issues. I'm looking to pay someone to help or repair.

Please PM or email.

Thanks.

Capt. Crunch

Oracle · 06-30-2010, 11:28 PM

Have you read about the infamous green wire to the stereo unit? If I remember correctly is something like if its not grounded there is substantial battery drain... Maybe another idea..

T77911S · 07-01-2010, 03:47 AM

a drain is in amps, not volts. you need to disconnect one of the battery terminals and the set your MM to amps (start on the highest setting first), then connect one lead to the battery and one lead to the cable. the test light connection is the say way, although it sounds like that is how you connected it. the test light works too, was it fairly bright? you are looking for a change in the light, may be very very dim if all is ok.

try disconnecting the alternator.

LUFTMAN · 07-01-2010, 06:23 AM

check and see if the heater/ac control assy. fan motor is running all the time. if you reach under the dash you will see the little fan motor on the back of that contol assy. (black plastic) when you turn the key off that motor will run for 5 to 6 seconds and then should shut off. if you listen real hard you can hear it click off. those units have a problem with that. that can kill battery. easy test i like to use the kiss theory. regards tom

Capt. Crunch · 07-01-2010, 07:13 AM

Luftman- is the the part you're talking about? The previous owner gave this to me and said it needed repair or replacement.

Capt. Crunch · 07-01-2010, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T77911S

a drain is in amps, not volts. you need to disconnect one of the battery terminals and the set your MM to amps (start on the highest setting first), then connect one lead to the battery and one lead to the cable. the test light connection is the say way, although it sounds like that is how you connected it. the test light works too, was it fairly bright? you are looking for a change in the light, may be very very dim if all is ok.

try disconnecting the alternator.

T77911s- I'm a bit in the dark with the meter but my father went to town with his fluke MM. I'm not sure we measured the drain in amps. I'm sorry for my ignorance on the subject but we seem to have found that the MM indicated something was pulling 11.7 volts. I'm not sure what was disconnected to get that reading.

Capt. Crunch · 07-01-2010, 07:36 AM

On a previous attempt to find the problem, a friend and I didn't find signs that anything foreign was attached to the harness in the trunk although we did find signs that someone had been looking at the wiring before probably the same issue. We followed all the way under the fuse box and nothing looked particularly wrong..

T77911S · 07-02-2010, 05:23 AM

thats fine. use the the test light then and connect it as i said. i prefer the TL myself.

the MM is not that bad if you want to use it.

you may have to move the leads on the meter to the amp connections on the meter. then turn the selection to either "A" , or "AMP". you may have a "mA" or a "uA". those are milli amp and micro amp. set it to the "mA" / "A" first. then remove one battery cable and connect one lead to the cable and the other lead to the battery. you will see a reading like .134, or maybe .013, or some other decimal number. that is the current draw from what is draining your battery......or you could use the test light.

if the number is very small, like .001, switch to "uA", but the mA or A setting should be the one you need.

Black_Hat · 07-02-2010, 05:59 AM

I have a 1991 964T
PO had a battery drain issue he did not tell me about ...I found receipts
traced to the door switches
I bought 2 new ones with boots, cleaned the hole so the made good ground
no more battery drain ....

dan79brooklyn · 07-02-2010, 06:12 AM

Check the door switches as mentioned and all interior lights to see if they are functioning properly, including trunk and engine bay light.

911st · 07-02-2010, 06:15 AM

Checking for amperage change at the battery when fueses are removed I think is the proper check procedure.

However, somtimes with the ignition switch off, you can start removing and replacing fueses. If one sparks when you remove and replace it, that circut it is drawing power and should be suspect.

Capt. Crunch · 08-09-2010, 08:48 PM

Well, I think i found the problem. The turn signal lever seems to have a short. I noticed the highbeam light was displayed in both positions and it was pulsing slightly. I guess I kinda jiggled the knob - that doesn't sound right - anyhow, the light went off and I could not get the highbeam light to come on again in the off position. Progress is good.
Would that pull juice from the battery when the car is off if the highbeam isn't on at all?